I finally got this project done and photographed for your viewing pleasure. This little fabric cottage is courtesy of the fabulously creative tutorial created by Uk Lass In The US. I loved that it was cute inside & out and could hold all those little animal toys that get lost easily. I was so inspired that I had to try to make one. I also loved that it didn't involve mad sewing skills or crazy supplies either. I'm not the greatest at visualizing though, so it took me some effort to get things laid out right and duct-taping the batting down was by far the hardest part for me. I got lazy with the outside decor & just glued it on, but since it's not going to be washed I figure that should do the job and not require some nice even applique stitching. I also enlarged it to 10"x10" since I knew 6"x 6" would be a bit small for the kinds of stuff my kids would try to carry around in it. I'm saving it for Ethan's 6th birthday in a few weeks and will include the animals.
The wooden animals are courtesy of my store (shameless plug here) and are handmade & handpainted with water-based paint in Germany. I think the hedgehog is my fave, but all the animals they make are really cool - there are so many different ones, I may make a different themed house like a barn or castle and stock it with some critters. I had this fabric log house toy when I was a kid that I loved and this totally reminds me of it, so I hope the boys like it as much as I do.
That is SO CUTE! I love it. I'm going to have to try that out! Christmas is coming...(:
ReplyDeleteIt really did turn out cute!
ReplyDeleteHow sturdy is it as a 10 by 10? The original barn I did was a probably about double the size, but I used plywood instead of the plastic canvas, as it wasn't meant to be portable. I've had someone asking me about a larger sized one.
I hope that Ethan likes it. I'm having ideas about making several of these for family members this Christmas, even though I usually chicken out of giving hand made gifts.
Thanks so much! I'll be giving it to him this weekend, so we'll see how it stands up to some rough play, but it feels pretty sturdy. I was thinking about making one as a gift, but just don't know if all the work would be appreciated enough to be worth the effort (I was not very fast in making this), but if it's a hit at the birthday, I may reconsider.
ReplyDeleteI have an idea for a similar type of item for his brother's birthday next month, so I'll be starting that in the next week or so & will post if it's a success. I'd love to see more of these houses - I don't know who enjoys them more the adults or the kids!